My name is Marcos Candido! I am a first generation son-of-immigrants born-and-raised here in Lowell. As a child, I moved all over the city until settling next to Tyler Park. Growing up, I understood life as a working class person to be difficult, and as an immigrant, even harder still and I believe we can do better as a city. After graduating from Lowell High School, I went off to attend university in Baltimore to study neuroscience. Nearly six years later, after living through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, graduating college, working at the NIH, and helping organize the largest federal union in over a decade, I have returned to Lowell. Not to my surprise, the things which held people back then continue to hold us back now; the rents are still too high, childcare is still too expensive, the ability to move around this city without a car is still abysmal, there are more unhoused neighbors who desperately need us to act, and all over - harmful ideologies which threaten all our communities are gaining power. We need a city council that will fix these issues now. That is why I have decided to run. I am running because I am a part of this community and believe we need progressive, passionate, and principled people leading this city. We must vote for a city council that wants Lowell to thrive and one that will relentlessly pursue every resource available to build beautiful and sustainable homes, to ensure every child is supported from birth, and to ensure the freedom of movement is embodied in all our infrastructure.